[Azure]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

Ok right I should have put some times down..

7:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 3:00 PM (4:30 work out) 6:00 PM (immediately after work out) 9:00 PM

Obviously those times are not set in stone, I can eat whenever I want, but that was when I was planning on breaking it all up.

IMO, its only important to time the meals before and after working out. Everything else isn't such a big deal.

I am at work from 8 till 4:30, so it would actually be easier on me if I switched the chicken breast to night time.

It would also benefit you more.

What if I did this:

7 - Eggs
10 - Garden Salad (need protein here now)
12 - Mexi Tuna

I don't see a problem with that. Are you getting at least 20g of protein in all those meals? If you are, this would work great. Maybe add some more fruit here too so you have access to carbs when you exercise.

3 - Yogurt w/ almonds

This is your pre-workout meal right? I would suggest going with it, seeing how your energy levels are while you workout, and maybe add more carbs if you need. Maybe add a banana if you can to this meal.

6 - Salmon w/ rice (maybe throw in some broccoli)

Before this you'll have a protein shake, right? As in within 30 min of your workout?

If so, then this sounds like a good meal. You might be wondering why I'm now saying that you should consume carbs(brown rice)....after working out. The science on your post-workout meal as I understand says that there is some benefit to consuming protein AND carbs after working out. And this should be done with 2-3 hours after working out. This is very similar to the post-workout shake, where you should also be consuming carbs and protein, but within 30 min of working out.

9 - Chicken breast with lettuce

This is a very good meal before going to bed. One other benefit you'll get from this is being able to avoid snacking on something unhealthy because you're hungry. Eating a real meal(it doesn't get anymore real than chicken breast)....will help fill you up, and help you avoid the cravings for something sweet.

If you DO crave something sweet, I would suggest finding some kind of diet pop that you like. I've found that drinking one of them takes away my cravings, and its a lot easier to deal with artificial sweetener than it is to deal with 50g of refined carbs. Don't try to simply erase all the unhealthy foods from your life one day, and go straight healthy from that point on. You'll more than likely fail. If you have a good week, treat yourself to something nice on Friday/Saturday night. I really like the idea of eating some nachos with cheese and some salsa as a 'reward' meal for having a good week. NoWorries mentioned that earlier.

Now the only problem is that I need some protein in my salad What about cheese? I don't like salad dressing, but I do enjoy plain garden salads *freak!*.. but I could throw some cheese in there for protein.

Cheese is good. You could also take some chicken breast and cut it into small pieces and add it to your salad as well. I love my salads when there is some kind of meat added. You could also hard boil some eggs, cut them up and add them to your salad as well. Or, another option is to buy some stripped sunflower seeds, and add them as well. I would actually really recommend this, as there are tons of vitamins and minerals in sunflower seeds that you can use. Plus, it helps you with adding protein.

Between the cheese, some kind of meat, eggs and sunflower seeds, you could easily get 20-30g of protein.

And ya basically what I do is work out right after work, then pound the protein shake, then head straight home and make myself supper. So the protein shake is within 45 minutes i'd say of meal 6, but within 5 minutes of post work out. By the time I get home and make supper, unless I had it all pre cooked for microwave, it is about 30-45 minutes.. I think that is too long between work out and protein intake, right?

No, like I said before, your meal after working out should be within 2-3 years of your workout. If you're getting it within an hour, thats great.

Another option to add more protein is to drink another protein shake before you workout. Up to you though. If you can get enough protein from real food, that is by far the better route.